practicing mise en place

Little orbs of good fortune

Lunar new year celebrations are full of traditions that have their origins in wishes for happiness, prosperity, and health in the coming year. My mother even tells the story that my grandfather knew my father was ‘the one’ for her when he came by to send her family New Year’s greetings and the hoa mai tree bloomed on that very day.

Growing up, my parents liked to decorate the house with freshly cut flowers to symbolize spring. They also always had a pretty pile of oranges and/or pomelos on display, a nod to their association with prosperity. “Cau vua du xai,” which translates to “wishes for prosperity that meets and exceeds your needs,” is often used as a play on words to determine the fruits displayed: cau (mang cau, or soursop), vua (dua, or coconut), du (du du, or papaya), and xai (xoai, or mango). Families will often have those specific fruits or other fruits depending on their geographic origins.

Needless to say, I have loved all the citrus that is currently in season, and now aptly available for the holiday: blood oranges, cara cara oranges, meyer lemons, and…kumquats! They are different from other citrus because the sweetness lies in the peel, while the pulp and juice are actually quite tart. Eaten whole, these delightful little orbs are an eye-popping burst of sweet-tart flavor. People often gift kumquat trees during the new year, with the thought that the more abundant the kumquats, the more luck and prosperity will come to your family.

Fortune aside, I have been having fun experimenting with them in my kitchen. It’s been a busy weekend of traveling to see friends, but just before I left, I made a spiced kumquat compote and spiced kumquat and almond tea cakes. Enjoy!

Spiced Kumquat Compote (makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1 cup thinly sliced kumquats, seeds removed (about 8 oz)

3/4 cup honey

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1/2 tsp grated ginger

Instructions:

Thinly slice kumquats transversely into rings and remove seeds.

Put water and honey in heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey.

Add kumquats, cinnamon stick, ginger, and star anise to the water and honey.

Simmer uncovered (think gentle bubbling) for about 30-35 minutes, until the mixture thickens.

Remove from heat, discard cinnamon and anise, and store in sterilized jam/marmalade jar.

Enjoy the warmly spiced, citrusy compote on bread, muffins, with cheese and crackers, or in the following tea cakes!